Tuesday, September 25, 2012

New construction sales are up. Resale housing sales are up
in certain price points. But it is still a buyers’ market in housing sales. I
finally sold my house after 2.5 years on the market. It was far from an
enjoyable experience and frankly I feel a bit violated. I’m told an offer is
coming. Expect it to be low. Of course it will be low I think to myself. But
that’s the negotiation dance. So they present their offer. Okay the offer is
low. I expected that. What I didn’t expect is that they wanted furniture,
electronics, cabinets, shelving. Heck they asked for everything it seemed like
except our kids! So I’m caught off guard a bit certainly and counter. The
response back….nope. The offer stands. No interest in my counter. No concessions
on their part. Want, want, want. No give. So what happened to the negotiation
process??!! They knew they had me in a corner and I knew if I didn’t fold I was
going to be paying two mortgages.

Some job seekers believe that companies will offer well below the market value
for their skills because the job market is poor. My response to that…..would
you want to work for someone that does that? But I also understand that many
good people have been unemployed far too long and something is better than
nothing. The good news: I truly believe however based on my experience working
with many companies across the US, a company actually undercutting someone is
much more rare than one might think.

Companies are paying a fair & competitive salary for a person’s skill set
& experience. Granted salaries are not being inflated certainly. At least
companies are not trying to take advantage of the job market.

So how about negotiating when you get an offer? Or how do you complete a job
application on salary?

As for the job application, what are your salary expectations? You could
complete by saying “a far & competitive salary for the position.” If a
number is required, I’d recommend that you do your homework prior to completing
the application and through research determine an idea as to what is the range
for the position you are applying for. Then do not exceed the midpoint of that range
but answer with a response such as, “As close to $X as possible.” Now if you
are working with a recruiter they should be able to consult with you on these
questions of course, so use them to help you. They are your advocate.

How about when you get an offer? Well if you like it, accept it. If it falls
shy of your expectations then your response could be:

“Thank you for the offer. I truly appreciate the potential opportunity to join
your company. I will review it and get back to you by tomorrow at noon.”

Now do your number crunching and determine an acceptable figure. Base your
reasoning on facts not on simply because I’d like more. You need to go back to
the employer and give them reason to increase their offer. Perhaps there is a
difference in the cost of the benefits over your last position. Perhaps the
bonus potential is less than your last position. Perhaps the travel expenses
are higher for your commute. These are logical and acceptable to figure into
the equation. And if presented properly the employer will not be offended.

So at the agreed upon day/time you call back. You explain that you are
sincerely interested in working for them. Of course only say this if you truly
are. Don’t play games with them. And don’t play one offer against another.
Burning bridges never pays off in the long run. Then you explain your reasoning
and ask if they could get close to $x figure on base. If they can you will
accept their offer. Okay, you’ve given them your sincere interest, commitment
and logical reasoning for asking for the figure you gave. If they can do it
they will. If they can’t you can still accept on good terms or decline on good
terms.